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View synonyms for penny dreadful

penny dreadful

noun

, Chiefly British.
, plural penny dreadfuls.
  1. a cheap, sensational novel of adventure, crime, or violence; dime novel.


penny-dreadful

noun

  1. informal.
    a cheap, often lurid or sensational book or magazine
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Word History and Origins

Origin of penny dreadful1

First recorded in 1870–75

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